Secrets Within the Darkness
by Flamingoetsalsa
Summary: The darkness holds many things and he relied upon it to hide the secret they were hiding from everyone. Katie Gardner/Jake Mason, odd coupling I know, but well, it's here. R&R!


**Well, I'm writing for my story **_**Love Is Never A Simple Matter**_**, and then BAM! Inspiration for this came. Yeah…I think it's actually pretty good. Enjoy! And I know this is an odd coupling, but it fits in with the story (See above) and well, the inspiration came, so I just wrote it. **

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The darkness was peaceful and it reminded Jake of the times he'd spent alone in the forges, working diligently on his projects for the ship, desperate to finish before the morning hours; equally desperate to prove that he was still important even if he wasn't counselor of cabin 9. Call him crazy, but he did feel slightly useless after stepping down as counselor, despite Nyssa's disagreement and the fact Leo asked him multiple questions almost every day. He'd never really liked being counselor, but it made him feel wanted and needed more than anything else.

Except when it came to Katie. The way she would appear randomly in the forges late at night when he was working away, the way she held his hand in the dead of the night as they walked around the camp or back to the cabins, the way she smiled at him during mealtimes or when they had the rare chance to hang out together, but most importantly he loved the way they would share kisses. It was exhilarating and reminded me how much he loved Katie. The sensation of having her against him, her body melded against her as they sought out each other, gripping each other tightly and reluctantly pulling away.

Unfortunately the darkness, as mysterious as it was, was the mysterious entity that held their secrets. It bothered him that he had betrayed Will and Travis's trust by kissing Katie, even more so for enjoying it. He kept insisting that they kept their continuous and growing relationship silent and hidden to all others. When Leo had accidentally walked in on them Jake had threatened to feed him to Peleus the dragon if he dared even tell anyone. Needless to say, Leo now slightly feared him, but Jake was willing to go all the way to protect their secret. Not only was it for his sake, but for Katie's. Katie had long ago promised not to pick between the three of them, saying it was against her, but at least three times a week she appeared in the forges and they began their secret affair, appearing as nothing more than friends the morning afterwards.

It was killing her, he could tell. Katie never appreciated lying and hated lying to others. Keeping a secret, one of this size too, was tearing at her and he felt so horrible for doing it to her. He was causing her pain, forcing her to keep things a secret from their friends and their siblings. It was unfair, but unless they both wanted to start a big fight with Will and Travis, it had to be hidden, only known to themselves and the darkness which concealed them.

"Jake." Her whisper reached his ears and he turned finding her walking towards him. He grinned broadly at the mere sight of her, his eyes roaming over her gorgeous features, taking in everything. She returned the grin and stepped up to him, grabbing his hands in hers and standing on her tiptoes, kissing his cheek. The feel of her touching him sent shivers down his spine and it made him think of nothing but her. He could feel his heart thumping against his chest, desperately calling out for her and the feel of her lips against his.

"Kiss me," He whispered. Katie blushed, but didn't refuse his request. He took over the kiss quickly, pulling her close and drinking in her scent; vanilla and mint. They would kiss hesitantly at first, like it was their first time kissing, but then it would deepen and the passion would emerge. He would kiss her hungrily, wishing never to break away, never to let her go. They broke apart briefly, panting and staring at each other, the silence holding so many unspoken things. _I love you_. _I want you_. _Kiss me_. The latter was a request that he acted upon himself, the first two being washed away as soon as they were kissing, because he knew that neither of them had to speak it, because he knew that deep within both of them they felt it.

'It' being a spark. A spark that he felt every time she was anywhere near him. The spark he felt whenever she touched him or gave him that smile that he loved. He loved that spark because it made him feel better about what they were doing. If this was so wrong, would there not be a spark? Would the lack of spark be a sign that they had misunderstood, that they weren't meant to be there, kissing, loving each other? But there was a spark, it was there and he knew it was and that Katie _must_ feel the same way.

"I love you," Jake murmured without even thinking. He felt Katie tense up, drawing away from him slightly. He faltered. Those words could be the life or death of a relationship and at the moment, things were not looking good. _No_. Jake tried to recover as quickly as possible; he would not let this end, not yet. "N-No, I-I'm sorry, that was-"

"Jake," Katie interrupted softly, her voice hoarse and like music to his ears. Katie stared up at him; something shining in her bright green eyes that made his heart beat even more rapidly. "I love you too." Excitement, joy, happiness...none of those words could even sum up how relieved and thrilled Jake was. He felt himself grinning like an idiot, but it was okay, because he had reason to be happy. Katie wrapped her arms around him, her head resting on his chest. He wrapped her up in his arms and pressed his lip against the top of her head, glad that he didn't have to let her go.

And once more, the darkness had another secret to bear.


End file.
